Team

First President

Late Major HPS Ahluwalia was a war hero from the 1965 India-Pakistan war in which he sustained a spinal cord injury. A few months earlier he had scaled Mount Everest. Subsequently, he founded Indian Spinal Injuries Centre in the late 1990s, and was a leading advocate for the SCI community. He was the Patron-in-Chief of The Spinal Foundation and served as its first President until his sad demise on January 14, 2022 (New Delhi). He is succeeded by Dr Naseema Hurzuk who took over as the second and present President on February 21,2022

President

Dr. Naseema Hurzuk took over as the President, TSF, with effect from February 21, 2022. She became a paraplegic at the tender age of 16 years. Dr Hurzuk has received more than 80 local, state, and national level awards for her contribution to the rehabilitation of PwDs. She penned her autobiography called “Chakachi Khurchi” (The Wheelchair) in Marathi in 1999 that was translated in English (Naseema – The Incredible Story), Gujarati, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and Urdu.
She founded “Helpers of the Handicapped, Kolhapur” (HoH) in 1984 and led it as President for more than 36 years; HOH helped more than 13,000 Persons with Disabilities (PwD) with education, vocational training, medical aid, appliances, and employment. Dr Hurzuk resigned as President, HoH in July 2020 and formed a new organization, “Saahas Disability Research and Care Foundation, Kolhapur” (Saahas); it strives for comprehensive rehabilitation of PwDs. Saahas has collaborated with Shirol Taluka of Kolhapur District and started a residential vocational training cum rehabilitation center (Kolhapur).

Vice – President

Shivjeet Singh Raghav is a Peer Counselor and Patient Educator at the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre and President of the Consumer Committee of the Spinal Cord Society. He leads by example through his extremely active life despite severely challenging circumstances. He is widely travelled and brings networking skills with global peer groups. (Haryana)

Secretary

Late S Vaidyanathan served as the first Secretary of The Spinal Foundation. He was the co-founder of The Ganga Trust, which supports rehabilitation of the physically challenged, Spinal Care India and Running For Ability. He served as a Peer Counselor at the Mary Verghese Institute of Rehabilitation, a part of Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore. Dr Suranjan Bhattacharji, a Gandhian and former Director, CMC, Vellore was his inspiration. (Vellore)

Secretary

Presently Dr Komal Kamra holds the post of Secretary, The Spinal Foundation. DrKomal Kamra retired in September 2019 from the post of an Associate Professor of Zoology at the SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi. She is also a Peer Counselor at the Indian Spinal Cord Injury as a volunteer. Komal has been at the forefront of working with the government and regulators. Her clarity of thought and communication skills have helped shape several initiatives. (Delhi)

Treasurer

Chandra Rama Rao faced a spinal cord injury and its attendant challenges at a very early age, but it did not deter her from pursuing her education and career. A Chartered Accountant by profession, she rose to top-notch positions in her banking job. She has led a vibrant life associating herself with NGOs and is a disability activist. (Uttar Pradesh).

CEO (Resigned, 2021)

Justin Jesudas joined The Spinal Foundation in December 2020 for a period of one year and contributed extensively to various programs of the Foundation